


Symposium

by Silverdoe_isobell



Series: Skyfront Fics [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work, Skyfront
Genre: #Skyfront on twitter, Alternate Universe - College/University, Because eeeeverybody wanted to see a modern au fanfic of our DnD campaign, Coauthor may get added later, Featuring platonic and romantic fluff, Hope I do my pals' PCs justice, I don't own 5/6 of these characters, Multi, Wow these tags are a mess, because I'm a sucker for that stuff, unless we insert the angst from our actual campaign this should be pretty angst-free
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-21 20:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11952402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverdoe_isobell/pseuds/Silverdoe_isobell
Summary: n.1. a conference or meeting to discuss a particular subject.2. a drinking party or convivial discussion, especially as held in ancient Greece after a banquet.3. the title of a work by Plato.aka the modern day AU for our DnD campaign that nobody asked for





	1. Hannah

“Are you sure you want to take a philosophy course,” Hannah said, despair on her tongue as she stared aghast at the back of her flatmate’s head. Looking up from her textbook, biro in hand, Fay responded “well it’s our only shared interest, if you can call it that. And you were the one who insisted that we should find a module to take together.”

Sighing in exasperation, Hannah realised that Fay was right. Philosophy was their only choice, no matter how crap it sounded. Hopefully the course was better than the two-sentence bio the department had written up. Hopefully.

* * *

“Lucas mentioned that his coworker at The Rose is on our philosophy module,” Hannah announced a week or so later, between mouthfuls of takeaway.  
“Oh?”  
“Yeah, a girl called Camilla, or something like that. Costume design student, lives a couple of streets away. Apparently she’s actually into all this ancient greek malarky.”

Fay rolled her eyes from across the kitchen island. “I find it… interesting. I just don’t really have time for all the bleeding essays. Us medical students have it rough, you know.”  
“Like mechanical engineering’s any less full on!” Hannah retorted in mock outrage, used to this routine by now. The two shared a smirk, before gathering up another forkful of noodles.

“Anyway, we should probably create a study group or something? One of the professors - the old guy in a waistcoat, what’s he called? - he said we should get together in groups to discuss the material.”  
“You’re not really narrowing it down by specifying ‘old guy in a waistcoat’, that’s practically all of them,” Fay replied, eyes rolling back into her head. “If you mean Callaghan, he did say that it was a good idea, yeah. I might know someone else we could invite.”

Hannah pressed a hand to her chest, as if in shock. “You. Have a friend. Who isn’t me?”  
Fay leaned forwards to poke her friend for her insolence. “I met someone at rugby, I’ll have you know. Aya, she’s an enviro science student.”  
“Met someone, did you?” Hannah replied, raising one of her eyebrows suggestively.  
“Oh shut up; she’s adorable, proper little sister territory. Though she’s positively terrifying on the pitch, despite being five foot nothing.” Intrigued by the description of this human she’d never come across, Hannah nodded her approval to extending an invitation.

* * *

During a facebook conversation with Camille (as her name turned out to be), their study group expanded to include her high school buddy Hond. He proceeded to ask if he could bring his coursemate Amthos, who was apparently in dire need of some assistance with an essay on Plato’s Apology. And with that, their little group of six was complete.


	2. Aya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aya runs into someone not once, but twice in a matter of days.

Second year was turning out to be so much tougher than first year, and Aya wasn’t quite sure how that was possible. Between getting time in at the gym, lectures and rugby practises, she barely had any time left for socialising, though Aya always made time for that. It was the one aspect of her life where she could let go, allow herself to be free of worries and chill out. She loved rugby, and punching out her problems always helped, but she was still conscious of the pressure put on her as a crucial member of a team. Drinking didn’t require her to stragetise, and she was forever grateful for the weekly bar crawls the team went on.

What she wasn’t grateful for were the massive hangovers she got the morning after, not letting her forget how much alcohol she’d ingested during her evenings of debauchery. It made 9am lectures on thursday mornings a living hell, and she was just glad they got recorded so she could rewrite her notes at a later date. This morning’s class had been particularly dull, and it had taken all her effort not to nod off at her desk. Nevertheless, she’d made it through, and there was a cup of coffee waiting for her at the Costa downstairs.

Gathering up her notepad and stationary, Aya dashed down the aisle towards the double doors that led to freedom, stopping only to grab a handout that she’d missed on her way in. Turning to nudge the doors open with her shoulder, Aya barrelled into some innocent bystander who’d been making their way past. Both of their belongings were thrown up into the air, before falling onto the eventual path of her oncoming classmates. Letting out a string of curses, Aya scrambled to pick up her things, not even pausing to look at the victim of her clumsiness. Once her belongings were back in her arms Aya let out a breath of relief, finally looking up at the face of her unsuspecting target. And for a moment, she was incapable of taking another breath. 

The guy she’d run into seemed to be in a similar state of stunned silence, having not spoken a word since their fateful collision. “Uh, hi. I’m Aya,” she said, rearranging her folder so she could hold out a hand. “I’m so so sorry about that, I’ve just had no sleep and I have a bloody hangover and-”

He smirked, seemingly amused by her apology. “No worries, we’ve all been there. Well, I certainly have. Amthos,” he said, shaking her outstretched hand. Releasing her grip, Aya moved to adjust a piece of hair that had fallen from its messy ponytail.  
“I’m desperately in need of coffee, so… sorry about all that. See you around I guess,” she said finally, making a break for the stairs. With a final look over her shoulder at the stranger she’d left in her wake, she was gone.

* * *

Knocking back her third cider of the night, Aya whooped, yelling loudly “we’re number one!”. Her rugby teammates cheered, chugging from their own beverages with gusto and hugging her from all sides. She’d even managed to drag Fay out to this party, even though she never came out with them to the themed bar crawls or impromptu parties like tonight.

It’s probably because we won the game and she’s in a good mood for once, Aya thought to herself, looking over at the giant medic who was chatting with a girl she seemed to know. As she watched, Fay reached out to touch her shoulder, laughing at something the stranger had said. Aya’s eyes lit up, and she marched over to interrogate her friend’s new conquest.

“Heyyy Fay,” she slurred, trying to reach up and lean on her shoulder to no avail. “Who’s this then, eh?”  
“This is my flatmate Hannah,” she replied with a smile, recognising Aya’s inebriated state. “I told her that I wouldn’t come out tonight unless she joined me, so she’s left the flat for once.”  
The girl scoffed. “I spend more time in the engineering building than our dingy little flat, excuse you.”  
“But when was the last time you went to a party?” Fay responded, with a teasing tone.  
“The last time you went to one,” her flatmate retorted, nudging her in the side.

Sensing that they wanted to be left alone, Aya began sauntering over to the drinks table, grinning at Fay as she retreated. The medic responded with a quizzical glance, but Aya was gone before she could say a word. “Gizza beer, bro,” she said to the guy at the makeshift bar, not recognising him. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking her up and down before passing her a meagre lager. She rolled her eyes, but returned to the rest of the party without another word, pulling open the bottle and tossing the cap to one side.

* * *

The rest of the party passed in a blur, amounting to lots more drinks, heaps of dancing and a good amount of yelling along to the songs she liked. The next thing she knew, Aya woke up on the sofa in her house, shielding her eyes from rays of sunlight that peered between the barely closed blinds. “Carlynn!” she squawked, her voice much hoarser than she expected. Her housemate rushed in from another room, her face dripping with concern. When she saw that Aya was alive and well her expression became a little less sympathetic, but she stuck around to see what was up.

“How did I get here last night?” Aya enquired. “Last thing I remember is singing along to ‘Mr Brightside’ at Elsie’s party, and now I’m on our sofa. What happened?”  
“Some guy brought you in at… 2am?” her friend said, yawning slightly when she thought about the hour she’d been woken up at the night before. “Apparently you were going flat out at the party, had a bit too much to drink.”  
Aya frowned, trying to recall any memories of a guy bringing her home. “Did he say what his name was?”  
“Something beginning with an A? Honestly babe, I wasn’t really paying attention and it was 2 in the bloody morning.”  
“Sorry Car,” Aya replied sheepishly. “I usually try to sneak in, but I must have been pissed.”  
“No shit.”  
“I’ll make dinner tonight?”  
“You bet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know what you think about the chapter! #Skyfront on twitter.


	3. Hond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of introspection.

Some days were great, full of life and excitement and productivity. Those were the ones that Hond wanted to get lost in forever, to relive over and over. The other kinds of days weren’t worth talking about. They were the write-offs, the ones where he lost track of time and life went on without him. He didn’t like to talk about those days.

To all the world, Hond seemed like a charming guy who had perhaps too much fun and would follow in his father’s footsteps to become a star-studded defence lawyer. That was what he wanted them to see, anyway. He’d learnt that vulnerability was best kept hidden years ago. He shared some of it with Camille, because she knew him. She’d known him before he learnt to keep things in, so sharing was simple. And she was such a good listener, she knew all the right things to say. Unburdening himself to her felt like such a release.

When she suggested that he join her little study group, he wondered why. He’d never had any problems with philosophy - taking that course in sixth form had turned out to be incredibly beneficial - and his grades reflected this. But he figured that she wanted company, and he couldn’t deny her that. So he said yes, on one condition.

Since reuniting with Camille, Hond had tried to keep her separate from the rest of his life, but it seemed that this practise would be ending pretty soon. Over drinks one night with his law school bro Amthos he’d mentioned the study group, and his friend had perked right up. Hond had learnt long ago that he couldn’t say no to his puppy dog eyes, and this instance was no exception. So he asked if he could bring a +1.

He had a gut feeling that this group could be the best thing that had happened to him recently, or the worst. And he wasn’t sure that he liked the sound of either option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to Lauren (@jl_nicegirl on twitter) for being my wonderful proofreader for all of this malarky, and to whoever else reads this, please leave feedback as I'd love to hear from you :)


	4. Camille

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final member of the study group goes about her nightly routine, taking stock of her life as she does so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day! I'm spoiling you all (my masses of readers).

Though working most evenings would be dull to some, Camille enjoyed the routine. Leave class at 5, walk back to the flat and grab tea, walk to the pub and complete her shift. It gave her some semblance of normalcy, after the chaos she’d gone through the past few years. 

As the White Rose emptied out in the wee hours of the morning, Camille stepped up to the wine rack and pulled down a bottle of her favourite red. Pouring herself a small glass, she laid the bottle back where it ought to be nestled, and paced over to the cash register. This was also a part of her routine, and though it wasn’t strictly allowed Trevor didn’t seem to mind. She was one of his regular bartenders, and she was good at her job. People really liked Camille, and she always got tipped for her troubles, so Trevor looked the other way. She rather liked him for it.

This job had been very good to her, both in the ‘paying her rent’ and ‘meeting new people who gave her stability’ way. She’d met Lucas through this job, who’d turned out to be a pretty dependable friend, and he’d introduced her to Wes who… was a whole other kettle of fish. A very nice, adorable kettle of fish. A kettle of fish who took her out to dinner and blushed when she flirted with him and made her laugh.

Camille smiled to herself, and took a sip of her wine. Opening up the cash register she counted the notes, sorting them into bags before stashing in a small metal box. Finally, she locked it up and moved it into the back room, where she saw Lucas and a girl she’d seen with him before frantically scribbling onto some official looking paper. Girlfriend? She wondered to herself, raising an eyebrow as she surveyed the scene. No, friend, she concluded, noting the distance between them and the lack of tension when they glanced at one another. Also, she was pretty sure that Lucas was seeing someone else, though it hadn’t been confirmed.

She coughed, as if to announce her presence, before moving into the room proper. Lifting herself up onto her tiptoes, she placed the box on the top shelf behind Trevor’s desk, cursing her lack of height under her breath. Long legs would’ve really come in useful right about now. Straightening out her skirt, she wrote a short message on a sticky note, placing it on the keyboard of Trevor’s computer, before glancing back at Lucas.

“Long night?” she asked, trying to ascertain exactly what they were up to. Lucas jolted abruptly, seemingly caught unaware by this query.  
“Oh Camille, didn’t hear you come in. Closing time already?”  
“Yep, 10 minutes ago. What’s keeping you up so late?”  
Lucas laughed uncomfortably, shuffling the papers in his hands.  
“Scholarship stuff, you know? Hannah’s helping me out, she knows how useless I am with the official paperwork.”  
The girl behind him raised her head to smile briskly at Camille, before turning her gaze back at the table. “Lucas here left it all till last minute and we have until 10am tomorrow before he has to submit everything.”

Camille tutted playfully, smirking at Lucas as he averted his gaze. “You do remember that I said you should’ve sorted that stuff out weeks ago, right?” He rolled his eyes, looking down at the files he ought to be getting back to. Sensing that she wasn’t wanted, she stepped back towards the doorway. “Nice meeting you Hannah, but I’d better be getting home. I’ve got a lecture tomorrow morning, and sleep waits for no woman.”

Grabbing her coat and bag from their usual spot, she reminded Lucas to lock up when he was done and headed to the entrance. There was a frost to the air as she marched home, and her breath fogged up under the glare of a nearby lamppost. Winter was approaching quickly, and it was only October for Christ’s sake. The last thing she needed was 3 feet of snow impeding her path to uni. 

Watching Camille’s form as she retreated from view, Hannah pursed her lips before murmuring: “is that the coworker who takes my philosophy module?” At Lucas’ grunt of confirmation, she continued. “Do you think she’d want to join a study group?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please do let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you. And my eternal gratitude goes out to Lauren for reading this mess :)

**Author's Note:**

> Please let us know your thoughts, either via the comments section here on Ao3, or via twitter using the hashtag #Skyfront. We also use #Skyfront for livetweets during DnD sessions, so if you want to find out about these characters' high fantasy adventures, you know where to find them.


End file.
